The Initiative on Climate, Energy and Environment (ICEE) at the Centre for Policy Research organised a seminar series from 2017 to 2018 entitled ‘Clearing the Air?’. Featuring the voices of prominent researchers, doctors, civil society members, and experts, this series of 10 events aimed to promote sustained and informed public discourse on the data, impacts, sources and policy challenges involved in addressing India’s air pollution crisis.

Filling the Knowledge Gap on Air Quality in Indian Cities
Date: December 4, 2017
Speaker: Dr. Sarath Guttikunda – Founder and Director, UrbanEmissions.Info, NASA Earth and Space Science Fellow, and TED Fellow
About the Seminar: Dr. Guttikunda discussed the contribution of various sources to air pollution in Delhi, identified gaps in knowledge and data availability on air pollution in India, and explained the challenges of monitoring emissions across different sources.

Selected excerpts from this discussion are available in the form of a written Q&A.

To learn more, watch the full video of Dr. Guttikunda’s presentation, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.

Health Effects of Exposure to Air Pollution (co-organised with Public Health Foundation of India)
Date: December 20, 2017
Speakers:
Dr. Prabhakaran – Vice President (Research & Policy), Public Health Foundation of India
Dr. Preet Dhillon – Epidemiologist, Sr. Scientific Officer, Public Health Foundation of India
Moderated by Bhargav Krishna – Manager, Centre for Environmental Health, Public Health Foundation of India

About the Seminar: This panel of clinicians, health experts and researchers from the Public Health Foundation of India discussed the effects of air pollution on important health outcomes such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and cancer.

To learn more, watch the full video of the speakers’ presentations, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.

Air Pollution as a Preventable Cause of Adverse Birth Outcomes in India: New Evidence from Cohort Studies in Tamil Nadu
Date: January 10, 2018
Speaker: Kalpana Balakrishnan Ph.D., FAMS – Director, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, SRU-ICMR Centre for Advanced Research on Air Quality, Climate and Health, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai

About the Seminar: Dr. Balakrishnan presents results from a recently concluded cohort study in Tamil Nadu that provides some of the first quantitative effects estimates for linking rural-urban PM2.5 exposures and birthweight in India, adding important evidence from high exposure settings that experience dual health burdens from ambient and household air pollution. Highlighting the need to consider maternal exposures to PM2.5, Dr. Balakrishnan emphasises the imminent need for strategic air quality actions focused on protecting vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and infants.

To learn more, watch the full video of Dr. Balakrishnan’s presentation, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.

Role of the Transport Sector in Delhi’s Air Quality: Key Drivers and Opportunities for Intervention
Date: February 1, 2018
Speakers:
Amit Bhatt – Director of Integrated Urban Transport, WRI-India
Parthaa Bosu – Lead Consultant, Environment Defence Fund
Sumit Sharma – Fellow and Associate Director, Earth Science and Climate Change, TERI
Moderated by Mukta Naik – Senior Researcher, CPR

About the Seminar: Vehicular pollution has been a significant contributor to air pollution in India. This panel deliberated on key technical and policy drivers for the reduction and management of emissions from the transport sector, including the source composition of air pollution from transport, potential gains from changes in fuel standards and fuel types, and issues related to public transport and modal shares.

Selected excerpts from this discussion are available in the form of a written Q&A.

To learn more, watch the full video of the speakers’ presentations, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.

Crop Burning as a Source of Air Pollution in the National Capital Region
Date: February 23, 2018
Speakers:
Dr. HS Sidhu – Senior Research Engineer, Borlaug Institute of South Asia
Pritam Singh Hanjra – Farmer from village Urlana Khurd, Panipat, Haryana
Dr. Rajbir Yadav – Principal Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)
Moderated by Harish Damodaran – Rural Affairs and Agriculture Editor, The Indian Express

About the Seminar: This discussion on crop residue burning as a source of air pollution explored the genesis of the problem, and touched upon some recent technological interventions intended to address the issue. It also discussed some of the key political, scientific, economic and social drivers that need to be considered while designing a long-term solution to crop residue burning. Selected excerpts from this discussion are available in the form of a written Q&A.

To learn more, watch the full video of the speakers’ presentations, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.

Municipal Solid Waste as a Cause of Air Pollution
Date: March 7, 2018
Speakers:
Ravi Agarwal – Founder & Director of Toxics Link
Nalini Shekhar – Co-founder of Hasiru Dala
Dr. Seema Awasthi – Founder & Director of ICUC Consultants Pvt. Ltd
Moderated by Arkaja Singh – Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

About the Seminar: Solid waste burning is being recognised as a significant contributor to the deteriorating air quality in the NCR. This panel discussed some of the best practices on waste disposal that can help reduce exposure to airborne toxins from municipal solid waste. Some of the strategies suggested gave primacy to waste workers, whereas others emphasised technology, infrastructure and management. Selected excerpts from this discussion are available in the form of a written Q&A.

To learn more, watch the full video of the speakers’ presentations, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.

Campaigning for Air Quality: Lessons from Two Decades of Advocacy
Date: April 12, 2018
Speakers:
Anumita Roychowdhury – Executive Director, Research & Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment
In conversation with Navroz K Dubash – Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

About the Seminar: Anumita Roychowdhury has been at the forefront of the clean air campaign in India for more than two decades. In this conversation, she discussed effective strategies to improve air quality regulation and governance, and reflected on some of the lessons learnt from shaping policy through deep government engagement and work with the courts. She also discussed the importance of strong institutions, evidence-based policy, and effective long-term implementation strategies to deal with poor air quality. Selected excerpts from this discussion are available in the form of a written Q&A.

To learn more, watch the full video of the conversation, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.

Power Plants as a Source of Air Pollution in India
Date: May 11, 2018
Speakers:
Vinuta Gopal – Co-founder & Director, Asar Social Impact Advisors
Priyavrat Bhati – Programme Director, Energy, Centre for Science & Environment
Ritwick Dutta – Environmental Lawyer & Founder, Legal Initiative of Forest & Environment
Moderated by Shibani Ghosh – Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

About the Seminar: Sulphates, nitrates, mercury and particulate matter emitted from power plants contribute significantly to air pollution in the country. The panel discussed the scale of the problem, described the governing regulatory eco-system, and analysed the policy formulation process for the 2015 emission norms, explaining why there was limited compliance. The speakers also deliberated on the role of the courts – the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court – in regulating pollution from power plants. Selected excerpts from this discussion are available in the form of a written Q&A.

To learn more, watch the full video of the speakers’ presentations, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.

Thick with Dust: Air Pollution in the National Capital Region
Date: July 16, 2018
Speakers:
Dr. Umesh Chandra Kulshrestha – Professor, JNU, New Delhi
Dr. Anuradha Shukla – Chief Scientist, Central Road Research Institute
Mr. Sunil Agarwal – Founder and Managing Director, Black Olive Ventures
Moderated by Navroz K Dubash – Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

About the Seminar: While dust is often seen as nothing more than an irritant, suspended particulate matter and other dust pollutants present very real threats to air quality, and create toxic respiratory conditions, particularly for vulnerable sections of the population like outdoor workers, children, and the elderly. This panel explored the environmental and health-related consequences of dust in the air, including the nature and scale of the dust problem, how climatic factors and increasing desertification contribute to the problem, and what changes need to be made to the regulatory environment.

To learn more, watch the full video of the panel discussion here.

Lessons from the Ground: Civic Engagement with Air Pollution
Date: August 8, 2018
Speakers:
Dr. Rohit Negi – Associate Professor, Ambedkar University, Delhi
Ashutosh Dikshit – CEO, United Residents Joint Action, Delhi
Chetan Bhattacharji – Managing Editor, NDTV
Moderated by Dr. Navroz K. Dubash – Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research

About the Seminar: This panel analysed whether and how civil society has been able to constructively contribute to the public discourse on air pollution. It also explored ways in which it has been able to – or can potentially in future – influence policy change and ensure effective and sustained action on air quality regulation and governance.

To learn more, watch the full video of the speakers’ presentations, which was followed by a round of questions from the audience.